Terminal cover



MP W 5 R o a 9 m 6 E66 6, V fi 1 m 5 Filed Nov; 14, 1925 W. G. MYLIUS ET AL TERMINAL COVER May 15, 1928.

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ATTdRNI IY Patented May 15, 1928.

UNITED STA WALTER G. MYLIUS, OF WILKINSBURG, .A'ND IBERTG 'LA BAR, 0F TURTLE CREEK;

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORSTO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AN D MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TERMINAL COVER.

Application filed November Our invention relates to instrument hous ings and particularly to cover member struc tures therefor.

One objection of our invention is to provide a device of the aboveentitled character that shall require but one of a plurality of cover members therefor, to be sealed.

Another object of our invention is to provide a plurality of cover members for different compartments of an instrument housing that shall be so interlocked as to render tampering with the instrument by unauthorized persons more difficult.

Another object of our invention is to improve the appearance of an instrument housing and to facilitate manipulation of its parts.

A further object of our invention is to effect economy of time, labor and material in the assembly of instrument housings.

While it is comprehended that our inven tion may have several other applications, we are more particularly interested in its use with watthour meters, in connection with which it is herein set forth.

In meters of the watthour type, it has.

heretofore been usual to provide a terminal compartment laterally offset from the main instrument compartment that is provided with a separate cover member and a separate sealing means therefor. In such structures, tampering with the meter connections may be effected by removal of the terminal compartment cover only and leaving the main cover member undisturbed.

A meter of the above-described form also requires the use of at least two seals, one for each cover member.

It is our aim to effect a refinement in structures such as those above described by providing an instrument housing and cover members therefor that are so interlocked as to require the removal of the one before the other may be removed, thus requiring but one of the cover members to be sealed, rendering it more difficult to tamper with the meter and facilitating the assembly of the housing to a marked degree.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a front elevational view of a portion of a watthour meter embodying our invention, showing only portions of the cover member of the main compartment,

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the device 14, 1925. Serial No. 69,071.

shown in F 1, takensubstantially along the vertical center linev therethroug'h,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end elevational View of a securing nut for one ofthe cover members, and I Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively,front and, side elevational detail Views of th'eiterminal compartment cover member.

The device comprises, in general, a sub stantially cylindrical'or box-like main ins strument housing portion 1, a laterally or downwardly projecting terminal compartment portion 2, a main cover member 3 for the compartment portion 1 and a cover member 4 for the terminal compartment por tion 2.

As is usual in instrument housings of this character, side and rear walls are integrally united, as in a single casting, the entrance to the compartment 2 being offset inwardly from the plane of the entrance to the compartment 1. i

The main cover member 3 may be of a usual type for mounting on the compartment portion 1 by studs 6 and nuts 7 but is provided with a portion 8 projecting inwardly from its lower edge in slightly spaced relation from the underside of the compart ment portion 1 opposite a shoulder portion 9 on the portion 1. The portion 8 may constitute a complete annular flange around the perimeter of the cover member 3. A stud 10 suitably secured at its inner end in a boss 11 projects forwardly from the boss through the entrance to the compartment 2.

A cover member 4 of substantially flat plate form having reinforcing ridges 12 is provided at its lower central portion with an opening of substantially key-hole shape having a rounded upper portion 13 and a straight-sided lower portion 14. The cover member 4 is also provided, at its upper edge, with an arcuate forwardly projecting flange 15 conforming to the underside of the compartment portion 1.

A nut. 17 for securing the cover member 4 in position is provided, at its inner end, with a boss portion 18 having flat sides 19.

In mounting the cover members on the housing, the cover member 4 is placed over the entrance to the compartment 2 with the stud 10 projecting through the circular por tion 13 of the opening in the cover member 4, in which position the boss portion 18 of the nut 17 will he admitted to the opening portion 13. When substantially fully advanced to operative position, the nut is adjusted with the flat sides 19 of the boss18 substantially parallel to the straightsides of the opening 14, so that the cover member 4 may be moved upwardly to a position wherein the flange 15 closely fits the underside of the compartment portion 1 against the shoulder 9.

lVhen the main cover member 3 is placed in operative position over the studs '6, the

With the parts assembled inthe above relations, one or both of the nuts may be providedwith a seal 20 of usual form.

While we have shown and described a particular form of our invention. changes may be eflected therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof asset forth in the appended claim.

We claim as our invention:

A measuring instrument comprising a housing embodying main and terminal compartment portions having entrances in offset planes relative to the rear of the housing, a cover member for theinner entrance having a portion projecting forwardly a cover member for the outer entrance having a portion overhanging the forward and under portions of said projecting portion to prevent forward and downward movement of i the first-named cover member, and securing means for sa d first cover member operative only when the second cover member is re moved and the first cover member lowered.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our namesthis 11th day of November,1925 i y WALTER G. MYLIUS. BERT G. LA BAR. 

